Re: seeking ConTeXt code

[Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl>]

Hi Ed,

> > >       * quire collation (for booklet-style pagination but without
> > >                 post-processing)
> >
> > The big manual shows some examples. (dutch but not that hard to
> > translate; just ask).
> 
> I was looking for that section in the Dutch manual, but I don't speak
> Dutch, and I'm not sure where the section on special booklet collation
> is.  I noticed "Pagineren" and "Paginanummers", but I didn't see it
> there.

It can be of help to set up 'texshow', which provides you with some
basic help on the commands. 

This concerns \stelarrangerenin or \setuparranging

> Is it hard to do?  Basically, I'm interested in taking a document with
> dynamically-generated context (so I won't know beforehand how many
> pages there are) and making it have pages ready for double-sided
> front-and-back printing, as if I ran my LaTeX "[twosided]" document
> through the psutils' psbook and "psnup -n 2".

There are two ways to do this: 

(1) while typesetting
(2) afterwards

Actually (2) comes down to (1) where each page is pasted in as a figure.
This feature is built in texexec: texexec --pdfarrange --paper=a4a5
--pdf --print=up yourfile.pdf

Method 1 is the most natural one because there the typesetting is tuned
to the natural paper size. You pick up a paperformat and map it onto a
print format. Then you set up the arrangement. The next sample is from
the manual ( 

\setuppapersize   [A7][A3]
\setuparranging   [2*8,rotated,doublesided]
\setuppagenumber  [alternative=doublesided]
\setuplayout      [margin=0pt,width=fit]
\setupbackgrounds [text][text][background=screen]
\setupcolors      [state=start]
\setuplayout      [location=middle,marking=color]
\setuptolerance   [tolerant]
\setupbodyfont    [6pt]

\starttext
  \dorecurse{30}{\input tufte \par \input knuth \par}
\stoptext

Now, the main problem is that arrangement takes place in the last stage.
This means running with the arrangement commented and then run a last
one with the arrangement. The reson behind this is that otherwise all
the references and indexes and lists get spoiled (page 5 can be output
before page 1). 

When you use a5 on a4, you can use texexec. Just set up your document
for a5, and run texexec: 

  texexec --paper=a5a4 --print=up yourfile 

will run context untill all refs are sorted out, and then apply a last
pass doing the reshuffel. 

I can add a feature to texexec (--arrange) that does the 'commenting'
(sort of), so that one has full controll in the source. I'll give this
some thought. 

Concerning the manual, we will start uploading soon on a chapter by
chapter base. The first 4 chapters are in typesetting stage (chapter 4
is what you need). 

> By the way, I'm excited about ConTeXt!  I didn't really understand
> what it is--a whole new format like plain and LaTeX.  It's very
> coherent, consistent, common-sensical, and _powerful_.

Thanks. You can add: still growing (especially in the graphics). 

> Also, is there a way to generate printed documentation from the
> ConTeXt sources?  I see there's a lot of information in there, and it
> looks like it's all or mostly English.
> 
> And lastly, is there a searchable archive of this mailing list?

Hm. I would not now. The NTG is preparing a CDROM with all the MAPS
issues as well as all mailing list discussions on lists hosted by the
NTG. So in a few months there will be an archive. 

Hans 

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                                          Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
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